Process of making iron and cement



Patented May 5, 1925.

,PAZTENT' OFFICE.

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PROCESS OF MAKING IRON AND CEMENT.

no Drawing.

. ,To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, EnWiN C. ECKEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vashington, in the District of Columbia, 5 have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes of Making Iron and Cement, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process of pro ducing low-sulphur iron and hydraulic cement, the latter resulting from the slag incident to the iron production.

lVhencertain iron ores were used for the production of metalliciron, the slags produced were necessarily high in silica and almost all of the sulphur in the ore charge was carried into the metallic iron product, and altho these processes resulted in the production of slags available for cements the silica was detrimental thereto. The value of low-silica cements has been demonstrated because they harden with extreme rapidity and by reason of the relatively low-line are resistant to sea water and other agents of chemical attack. a i I By means of the present process it is possible to produce metallic iron from. ordinary ores, together with aslag which can be converted into low silica cement whereby the slag so produced has such a high commercial value that it is possible to extend theprocess to include ores carrying or even less of iron. Therefore by reason of the two commercial products ores may be treated which have hitherto been incapable of profitable reduction.

In performing my process I fuse in a suit-' able furnace a mixture of iron ore or iron bearlng minerals of almost any quality or bases depending on the nature of the ore,

the gangue and the fiuxing material {sea in the charge. A typical mix might be made by mixing ample as a Cuban ore at thepresent too low in iron for.- use, containing 1ron oxide silica"2%, alumina 10%, alkalis, sulphur,

grade, andlimestone or othercalcareous maone ton of a low grade iron ore, such for ex- Application filed Ianuary 24, 1924, Serial No. 688,349.

phosphorus etc. 3%.and combined water etc.

40%, with ton of limestone, which might" contain 96% lime carbonate. Fused in a blast furnace with coke, .this mixture would yield about 560 lbs. pig iron and about500 lbs. of slag within the proportions above specified.

When a sulphurous or low grade iron ore indicated, metallic iron will separate at the bottom of the furnace and is drawnroif for further treatment. The resulting. slag is also drawn ofl' separately and after. cooling is ground into powder, yielding a cement low in silica and containing sufiicient alumina to give it quick setting properties, and

this without the subsequent addition of lime or other material. A certain amount of iron will also be present in the slagand cement. In part, this will be in the form of metallic iron globules in the slag, which are preferably removed after cooling by magnetic or other means, in order to save wear on the grinding machinery.

The quantity of iIZOIl produced will ordi-1 as above is fused or smelted in the manner the subsequent addition of' lime or other similar material; in other-words, a cement complete in itself and containing say between 30 and 45% of lime.

I claim:

.1. The process of producing iron and alumina cement, comprising fusing a mixture of iron bearing ore low in silica and calcareous materials in such proportions thatthe resulting slag will contain a. relatively-high proportion of alumina and less than15% of silica, separating -the reduced metallic iron and the sla'g,-and cooling and grinding the latter. e y

2., The process of producing iron and alumina cement, comprising fusing a mixture of aluminous iron ore low in silica and limestone, in such proportions that the slag will ion minous low silica, iron ore with calcareous materiel, separating the reduced metallic iron and the slag, and grinding and cooling 1 the latter.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

EDWIN C. ECKEL. 

